Salmon oil is undoubtedly believed to be beneficial for the dogs of all ages ranging from puppies to the old ones.

It is considered as a necessary supplement to be included into your canine’s diet. Salmon oil contains all essential fatty acids such as omega-3 that are good for both bones and brain development.

It is also believed as a life saver providing relief when your dog is in pain as a result of incurable arthritis. If your dog can go on to have salmon oil without showing any adverse effects, then the benefits you can reap are uncountable.

Is Salmon Oil Safe For My Dog?

This is a very genuine question that I am sure bothers every dog owner. Before adopting anything into your dog’s diet, you must be very sure about its safety.

Well, salmon oil, as already mentioned above, contains a rich source of proteins and fatty acids that obviously should be fed to your dog.

Not only that, it helps to prevent and cure a number of canine diseases such as arthritis, inflammation problems, skin diseases and covering up many deficiencies.

But there is a rule here. You should introduce it into your dog’s diet in a confined way.

You can’t feed it as you like as if you are quick fixing the problem of fat deficiency with an overloaded dose. This won’t allow you to see the bright side of the salmon oil.

Generally, the results of salmon oil are seen to be beneficial, but there can be exceptions in some cases. For such cases, you must observe the effects of using salmon oil and discontinue its use for abnormalities, if any.

Salmon Oil Benefits for Dogs

Salmon oil is a rich source of proteins and fatty acids which are mandatory for your buddy’s growth and development.

Salmon oil has proven to provide relief for many of the canine diseases such as skin problems, allergies, joint aches or more specifically arthritis, and many more.

It helps to improve the texture of coat and skin. Does your dog have a healthy coat? It might become essential in that case.

It also improves and strengthens the immune system in dogs that helps in fighting against diseases.

Salmon oil also lowers the cancer cell growth.

It helps to get rid of kidney infections.

Controlling weight in overweight dogs is one of the benefits.

Salmon oil reduces the chances of heart and renal diseases.

The healing properties of salmon oil are commendable.

It also helps in increasing appetite of your dog.

Improves stamina which is essential for every dog out there.

Side Effects of Salmon Oil for Dogs

Giving your dog salmon oil will not result in any severe side effects. Or we can say that they are not seen that very commonly. But there are some side effects that are visible, like the one below:

Weight gain is often observed, but that could be easily dealt with light exercises.

There can be a problem of bad breath. To avoid this, regular cleaning of your dog’s teeth should be done, and dental precautions should be taken.

Intake of Salmon oil supplements may sometimes cause stomach pain.

Nausea and dizziness can also occur.

Not commonly, but seen in rarest of rare cases is the side effect that causes a deficiency of vitamin E in your canine due to the intake of salmon oil supplements. The occurrence of such a symptom shows that your dog and salmon are not made for each other.

Salmon poisoning can also be a problem whose symptoms are vomiting, dehydration and lethargic behaviour.

Salmon Oil Dosage For Dogs

Now, this is a serious matter of concern.

Unlike humans, dogs cannot decide about their diet and dosage. So, you have to decide on their behalf. So, if you are planning to introduce salmon oil in your dog’s diet, be sure of its dosage.

You will see different recommendations for dosage in different places on the internet.

The salmon oil dosage for dogs depends on their age and weight. Above all, you must take the advice of your vet regarding dosage before you give your dog anything.

A general recommendation is given below:

Up to 26lbs dogs – 4ml

26-53lbs dogs – 8ml

53-106lbs dogs – 12ml

For 106lbs and above – 16ml

Again, this is a general guideline. Be sure to check this with your vet as every dog is different with different needs.

Are There Any Downsides?

There aren’t any significant downsides observed for salmon oil. Though, these downsides can occur only in the form of minor side effects as mentioned previously as well.

They can take the form of diarrhea, foul smell from mouth, upset stomach, etc.

Another downside may be the high cost of good quality salmon oil.

Before appending salmon oil into your dog’s diet, you must ensure that you only use high-quality salmon oil because it matters a lot. Using low-quality oil may degrade your canine’s health instead of improving it.

You also have to make sure that the salmon oil bottle or capsules must be consumed within a month or two. Feeding old salmon oil for dogs can be ineffective and should strictly be avoided.

So…

Remember, the decision to add salmon oil supplements into your dog’s diet depends on several factors.

It depends on what sort of diet you are already giving to your dog, whether he has been given raw diet or a processed one. If he is usually given the processed diet, then a whole fish and salmon oil is definitely a good idea.

It is also highly recommended for dogs that are suffering from chronic, skin, joint problems. Salmon oil has worked like a miracle in such cases.

You may also observe your pet behaving more active, and he will soon get rid of his degraded health condition if any.

Now, you can take your companion for a walk, race and swim as well and trust me he would do it with more enthusiasm than before.

One precaution that you must ensure while dealing with salmon oil is to keep it away from exposure to light, heat or oxygen. Exposing oil to any of these would allow it to react with them, and it may get poisonous. For this reason, store the salmon oil in a dark bottle and keep it refrigerated.

Hope you found this information useful. If you have any questions, you know how to reach us!